I’ve had others also test this using the latest ISO for Windows 10 – en_windows_10_enterprise_version_1703_updated_march_2017_x86_dvd, they too now encounter this same issue. So the problem seems to be with the build of Windows 10 that was released.

I am going to download another build from MSDN and see if there is a change.

Update: March 19, 2018

I was able to get this working by way of reinstalling Windows 10 using the following ISO build: en_windows_10_multi-edition_vl_version_1709_updated_sept_2017_x64_dvd

Windows Server 2012 R2 introduced a feature called “Automatic Virtual Machine Activation” (AVMA), and now in Windows Server 2016, this feature has been carried forward. This feature was primarily designed for Web Hosters but found usefulness in internal Hyper-V server for testing lab machines.

What is Automatic Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA)?

Automatic Virtual Machine Activation is a feature that handles the activation process for an instance of Windows Server inside a Hyper-V virtual machine so it does not need to directly contact any other system to activate the Windows Server instance.

AVMA is engineered to digitally facilitate the guest virtualization rights allowance of the Windows Server Datacenter license. If the physical host is properly licensed to run Windows Server Datacenter, then any number of virtual instances running the same or a lower edition and the same or earlier version of Windows Server is included.

Requirements for Automatic Virtual Machine Activation?

You must have a Datacenter Edition of Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows 2016 installed as the management operating system with the Hyper-V role enabled. AVMA is a feature of the operating system, not Hyper-V itself.

How to Configure a Virtual Machine for AVMA?

When prompted for a license key, you simply give it the key that matches the operating system of the virtual machine.

Guest Operating System’s and Keys

Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
K2XGM-NMBT3-2R6Q8-WF2FK-P36R2

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard
DBGBW-NPF86-BJVTX-K3WKJ-MTB6V

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter
Y4TGP-NPTV9-HTC2H-7MGQ3-DV4TW

Windows Server 2016 Essentials
B4YNW-62DX9-W8V6M-82649-MHBKQ

Windows Server 2016 Standard
C3RCX-M6NRP-6CXC9-TW2F2-4RHYD

Windows Server 2016 Datacenter
TMJ3Y-NTRTM-FJYXT-T22BY-CWG3J

These keys will be accepted by any operating system but if AVMA is not detected they will move into an unlicensed mode.

This weekend we had a few internet connection issues at home. As the in-house IT guy, I had a natural obligation to fix the issue right away. After all, my wife, son and his two sisters needed their connections restored.

I worked to diagnose the issue and later resolve it.

It was about 30 minutes after the network was restored I noticed that my son was on his laptop and chrome was on a page that looked like what one would expect if the network connection was lost. This wasn’t the case. In fact, this was intentional, he had discovered a game of sorts in the chrome browser. This game involves a T-Rex that is running across the screen where you the player jump over objects, later ducking under objects also.

To activate the game:Just press the space-bar or the up arrow key and the game begins. I like to give a big thanks to my son for teaching me something very interesting and fun.

So what was it that my son taught me?

It wasn’t the game specifically but more so how a non-ideal situation can allow for the possibility to be innovative and make the best of what you have and to always have a little fun.

To lower my memory footprint in my home lab I decided to move from into Windows Server 2016 Core. That said running Active Directory Domain Service seems to be the perfect candidate to start with my new architectured lab environment.

There are several prerequisites required for enabling ADDS, but I am not going to get into those here as if your reading this, there is a good chance you already know what those are.

We will be installing what is commonly referred to as a new forest/domain.

Step 1: Validate your hostname, IP address, and DNS settings

Log into the console of your Windows Server 2016 Core SystemYou need to log in as an administrator and should arrive at a command prompt

In my previous post ‘Windows Server 2016 Core Configuration, with SCONFIG‘ I stepped through how to use the sconfig tool to modify settings on Windows Server 2016 Core. In this post, I will introduce you to how to go about running Windows Updates and applying them to your server.

Here are the steps I used:

Log into the console of your Windows Server 2016 Core SystemYou need to log in as an administrator and should arrive at a command prompt